A California art teachers discovery of a bat in her classroom earlier this October has ended in tragedy.
The teacher died from a rare but deadly rabies infection likely caught from the bats bite.
Several weeks later, Seneng began to experience rabies symptoms and sought emergency care.
A colony of little brown bats (Myotis lucifugus) found in a church ceiling.© McDonald Wildlife Photography Inc. via Getty
She didnt wanna harm it.
Splotch hasalso starteda GoFundMe campaign to cover the familys funeral expenses, which has reached its goals.
According to officials, this is the first rabies case detected in Fresno since 1992.
2021 was an unusuallystrong yearfor rabies in the U.S., though still only five deaths were recorded.
Contrary to popular belief, bats are not immune to rabies.
That said, many other wild animals and unvaccinated pets can carry it as well.
The best way to avoid rabies in the U.S. is to keep your distance from wildlife.
Never approach injured animals; instead, contact animal control for assistance, when needed, the CDC states.
More recently, scientists have discovered that rabies can even infectseals and potentially other marine mammals.
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